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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23732545">Ho Ho Ho</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_stickie_note/pseuds/lost_stickie_note'>lost_stickie_note</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>#zhangjun2020, A NPC fic in 2020 icb, CHRISTMAS FIC IN APRIL BITCHESSSSSS, Chaoze is the savage friend we all need, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Zhangjun, elf!Zhangjing, green is not Zhangjing's color, santa!Yanjun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:53:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,099</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23732545</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_stickie_note/pseuds/lost_stickie_note</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There are worse things than being stuck at the mall dressed in an elf costume. Such as simultaneously having a crush on the boy working alongside you as Santa. In which Zhangjing hopes for a Christmas miracle.</p><p>#zhangjun2020 #votezhangjun</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lin Yanjun/You Zhangjing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ho Ho Ho</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>BASED ON THIS <a href="https://twitter.com/loststickienote/status/1072000322510434304">TWEET</a> FROM DEC 10, 2018. Honestly, I can barely believe that this got finally written, but it is. done. Also not sure why I became so motivated to finish this particular wip last week, but [chef's kiss] I'm glad I did. Nobody hate me for uploading a Christmas fic in April, pls. Just a fic update reminder that I love Zhangjun.</p><p>ALSO, for those of you that are interested, we are running a fic fest for IPD/QCYN/QCYN2 that will be opening prompting on <strike>Apr 1st</strike> <strike>May 1st</strike> Apr 27th, and the Twitter with more info can be found <a href="https://twitter.com/cloud9ficfest">here</a>. Please consider following the account and participating through prompting, writing, reading, etc. when it starts!</p><p>Ahhh, extra thanks and kisses to my beta reader, who did this one on short notice because she's amazing. ♡♡♡</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zhangjing frowns at the green, far too green for his liking. “I can’t believe you dragged me into this.” He mutters at Chaoze, who’s already started putting on the costume. “You really convinced me to sign-up to play an elf. A freaking elf.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you're the one that said you needed money. And I so graciously offered to help you get a part-time gig here at the mall. Beggars can't be choosers. So suck it up, buttercup.” Chaoze shoots back unhelpfully. “Now get dressed, quickly. We're supposed to meet the manager before our shift.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
He continues complaining, but nevertheless, begins putting on the green pants and matching top, accented with pops of red. It takes him a few extra minutes to adjust the fake ears and the ridiculous looking hat on his head, the overly large white pom-pom on the end giving him shudders of repressed self-loathing. He balks when he sees Chaoze in the mirror, the other boy far quicker than he is, already in full costume, with the two dots of pink already brushed on to his cheeks, giving Chaoze an almost cartoonish and comical look.</p><p> </p><p>“Do I have to wear the ears?” He looks at his friend with a pleading expression, in hopes that his puppy-dog pout will get him out of attaching the pointed tips.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, they’re part of the costume.” Chaoze gives him a look. “You’re an <em>elf</em>. A <em>poor </em>elf, may I remind you.”</p><p> </p><p>He grumbles but obliges, slipping the fake ears over his own, the awkward fit already driving him crazy. And Zhangjing is halfway turned around to ask Chaoze exactly <em>how </em>the ears are supposed to stay on when the door opens, another boy walking into the dressing room.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Hey, is this where we're supposed to get changed?" The boy asks, unsure, his eyebrows drawn together questioningly. "I'm supposed to be dressing up as Santa?"</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Yup, you're in the right place." Chaoze chirps cheerfully. "Nice to meet you. I'm Chaoze, that's Zhangjing, and we're playing two of your elves."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
"Oh great." The boy breaks out into a relieved smile, the cutest looking dimple Zhangjing has ever seen forming a deep indent in the other boy’s cheek. And he has the strongest urge to blurt out something, anything, and the relief washes over him when the other boy interrupts his stream of thought before he can say the first thing that comes to mind <em>you’re too cute to be Santa </em>as his first words to this stranger.</p><p> </p><p>"My name's Yanjun. Nice to meet you two."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Yanjun smiles at them again, and suddenly, Zhangjing is thankful for those silly pointed ear tips, hiding the fact that he can feel the tips of his ears turning red already, hoping the other boy doesn’t notice the blush crawling up from the base of his neck. <em>Maybe this job won’t be so bad after all. </em>Yanjun is one of the most attractive boys he's ever seen, and he would get to see him every time he shows up for work.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
He's thrilled.</p><p> </p><p>But then he remembers what he's wearing.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
And that immediately kills off any Christmas cheer he has.</p><p>---</p><p>Zhangjing tries hard to pay attention to the manager’s words as he talks, but instead he finds himself sneaking glances at Yanjun instead. The other boy has changed into his costume, the big red suit quite obviously too big for him, the unfortunate amount of stuffing to fill out the costume underneath almost lopsided and not quite evenly spread, giving off a lumpy look. The beard looks almost as comical, with the top part not quite attached as seamlessly to the other boy's chin as one would hope, not to mention the utter lack of compatibility with Yanjun's face, clearly too young to have such a beard. Even worse, the cap on his head is not quite hiding all of the other boy's hair either, the black a very striking contrast to the white of his fake beard.</p><p> </p><p>All in all, not the absolute <em>worst </em>Santa Zhangjing has ever seen.</p><p> </p><p>He is so absorbed in watching Yanjun that he doesn't notice the question directed towards him, nor does he hear Chaoze's <em>psst</em>. What <em>does </em>get his attention though is his best friend nudging him <em>hard </em>in the side, the sudden stab of pain making him jump, simultaneously letting out a shrill yelp, an octave higher than he'd care to admit to. As he looks over, Yanjun is grinning, his hand over what's left showing of his mouth, clearly trying to hold back his laughter.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Great.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Just what I need.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>This time Zhangjing feels his cheeks turn red in addition to his ears, and he imagines that they are the exact same shade of red on his costume. "Y-yes?"</p><p> </p><p>"We wanted to know what your name is." The manager shakes his head, letting out a small sigh.</p><p> </p><p>"Uhhh, Zhangjing?" He replies weakly, not sure why this needs to be said. After all, it was this same manager that had done his interview last week, and he had been sure that the guy knew his name at the very least.</p><p> </p><p>"No, your elf name."</p><p> </p><p>"My...elf name." Zhangjing says the words slowly, not quite sure he is hearing correctly, though the comical look on Chaoze's face seems to suggest otherwise.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, we're trying to convey the spirit of Christmas, so you need an elf name. After all, Zhangjing the elf doesn't quite as nice of a ring to it as, let's say, Zippy. How about you can be Zippy the Elf?" The manager is looking at him expectantly as if he's waiting for Zhangjing to agree, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see Chaoze straight-up laughing at this point, his hand clamped over his mouth to muffle the sound.</p><p> </p><p>"Uhhh, okay. I can be Zippy the Elf." Zhangjing feels like slowly dying or perhaps melting into a puddle on the ground like the witch in the Wizard of Oz. <em>Maybe it'll happen if someone throws a bucket of water on me. </em>At this point, he's given up hoping that Yanjun might have even an iota of interest, not after witnessing his unfortunate inauguration as <em>Zippy</em>. The manager goes over a few more rules with them, the elves having the job of keeping the line orderly and limiting the amount of time per session with Santa, a maximum of five minutes per child. Zhangjing nods attentively as the manager wraps up the last few details, where to place props when the shift is finished, when to bring back costumes, etc, not daring to sneak another peek at Yanjun lest he zone out again and is unfortunately embarrassed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Santa's job seems much easier.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>At the very least, Yanjun is allowed to sit down. A position that Zhangjing is envying greatly about an hour into their shift, the slightly-too-small elf shoes pinching his toes each time he tries to walk, the fake candy cane prop feeling heavier than it should. Even worse, the costume is starting to ride up uncomfortably, the skin-tight green tights sticking to him just a bit too much. "Get in line to take a picture with Santa! He's here to check if you've been naughty or nice this year so he can bring you the presents on your wishlist."</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing sighs with disbelief at his friend who is cheerfully promoting, not sure whether Chaoze should be praised or condemned for seemingly enjoying the whole thing.</p><p> </p><p>"Hi." The voice is coming from beside him, and Zhangjing is confused as he looks to his left and doesn't see anyone. <em>Oh right. </em>As he looks down, there's a small boy looking up at him, eyes wide as saucers, his mouth gaping open in a look of surprise. "Mister, are you a real elf?"</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing has a moment of very real panic.</p><p> </p><p>On the one hand, he's supposed to be playing a real elf. On the other hand, he doesn't exactly want to <em>lie </em>to this little kid. <em>Fuck it. </em>"Yes, yes, I'm a real elf, one of Santa's many little helpers. And we work in Santa's workshop in order to bring you presents on Christmas day."</p><p> </p><p>"Does this mean you can make video games with hammers and stuff?" To his merit, the little boy looks rightfully skeptical. "Last year, Santa brought me video games to play with."</p><p> </p><p>"Uhhh...yes, we can make video games with our tiny hammers and other tools." Zhangjing wonders if he should stop while he's ahead.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, what's your name?"</p><p> </p><p>"My name's Zh--Zippy, my name is Zippy." He feels the self-loathing rising in his chest, the regret of asking for Chaoze's help. <em>Should have known Chaoze wouldn't be actually helpful.</em></p><p> </p><p>The little boy still looks dubious. "Yeah, and if you tell Santa today what you want for Christmas, then he'll grant your wish as long as you've been a good boy this year." Zhangjing tries to add, injecting fake cheer into his voice.</p><p> </p><p>"Does this mean I change my mind and want a different present, I can send a letter to you at the North Pole to tell Santa?"</p><p> </p><p>"Uhhh, yeah, sure." Zhangjing wonders who is the poor soul who'll be getting a letter addressed to Zippy the Elf.</p><p> </p><p>The boy brightens into a smile. "Okay, then."</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Ah, finally, acceptance.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The rest of his shift passes uneventfully, and Zhangjing is spent by the end, the only thing keeping him going being Yanjun’s smile each time the other boy glances in his direction. Well, okay, the smile is technically directed towards the kids, and Zhangjing is only in Yanjun’s line of sight due to his place monitoring the front of the line, but <em>still</em>. A guy can dream.</p><p> </p><p>And he hopes that Yanjun doesn’t think he’s a grumpy little elf when he smiles and waves at the other boy as they leave, wishing him a good night with a forced smile plastered on his face, trying desperately to cover up the fact that he’s so tired he could fall over. His best friend looks at him critically. “Zhangjing, just so you know, you look as if you are in actual physical pain right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks a lot, Chaoze. So helpful.”</p><p> </p><p>“Any time.”</p><p>---</p><p>Zhangjing gets there early the next day, hopes of seeing his newly found crush humming through his veins, and he spends the time anxiously looking at his costume, fiddling with the bells attached to the front. Chaoze gives him a <em>look</em> as he walks into the dressing room, about to open his mouth to say something when Zhangjing shakes his head fiercely. To his best friend’s credit, Chaoze manages to stay silent for once. Zhangjing jumps up awkwardly when Yanjun comes, his chair scraping against the floor for emphasis, the loud squeak all too loud. “Hey, Yanjun.” He waves awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>Yanjun gives him a bright smile that makes the dizziness rush to his head, his insides swooning. “Hi, Zhangjing.” The other boy points at the costume that he’s wearing, giving him a smile. “You got into your costume fast – the green suits you.” Zhangjing can feel the tips of his ears burning, the flush in his cheeks. It doesn’t help that he can hear Chaoze muttering behind him, soft enough that Yanjun can’t hear. “Yeah, and once you turn red, it’ll be just like Christmas.” He resists the urge to punch Chaoze in the arm, not wanting to make a bad impression in front of Yanjun. “Do you want help with your makeup and the ears?” Zhangjing’s head snaps up so quickly at the sound of Yanjun’s voice that he can feel the whiplash in his neck. “What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Your ears?” Yanjun points at him, an amused expression on his face. “Aren’t they supposed to be pointy?” Oh, right. “Uhh, sure. I’m not sure where I left them actually-“ Zhangjing opens his backpack, digging through the mess, sure that he had at least packed them this morning along with the rest of his unfortunate costume. He finally finds them at the bottom, none too worse for wear thankfully, and he takes them out quickly. Yanjun takes them without a word from him, and Zhangjing almost jumps out of his chair when he feels the touch of Yanjun’s fingers on his ears. And he prays silently that the other boy can’t feel that his ears are burning even more, something Zhangjing didn’t think was possible. It takes Yanjun a few minutes, the other boy’s head ducked down, and he feels the flush spreading down his neck, and Zhangjing swears that he’ll kill Chaoze later, whose grin in the reflection of the mirror is getting more and more unbearable the longer Yanjun takes.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, there. All set.” Yanjun declares, a satisfied smile on his face, and Zhangjing gulps nervously, the other boy’s face far too close for his liking. “Do you want me to do your makeup too?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uhh-“</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, yes he does.” Ugh, Chaoze. His friend winks at him and sticks out his tongue from behind Yanjun, shoving the makeup and makeup brush into Yanjun’s hands. “I’m going to go out first, Zhangjing, or should I say, Zippy.” And Zhangjing is about to glare at him but Yanjun speaks before he can do so. “Here, hold still.” Zhangjing vaguely wonders if it’s possible to hold his breath for the entirety of the time Yanjun stares at him. Maybe not the best idea. He concentrates instead on trying to breath as quietly and cutely as possible. At least this gives him an excuse to stare at Yanjun without coming off as weird.</p><p> </p><p>Yanjun has high sharp cheekbones, a nice strong prettily sloped nose, and plump kissable lips, and Zhangjing feels the blush starting over his cheeks as he sees Yanjun’s teeth biting his lower lip in concentration, the eyeliner pencil digging little spots into his skin. He inhales sharply, trying to look anywhere other than Yanjun’s lips, attempting to will away the heat from his face. Small talk, distraction, yeah. “So what made you decide to dress up as Santa? Childhood dream?” He jokes, then immediately regrets it. Yes, some joke. Every child’s dream is definitely to dress up as the mall Santa. <em>Pull yourself together, Zhangjing. </em>“Oh, just needed some extra cash. Holiday gifts and such, and this seemed like an easy enough job.” Zhangjing feels the makeup brush bristles carefully spotting pink on to his cheeks, much more gentle than Chaoze. “Oh, holiday gifts?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, for the family and stuff.” Yanjun backs his face up a bit, staring at his work. Zhangjing can’t stop the words from coming out of his mouth soon enough, blurting them hastily. “No special someone?” Yanjun shakes his head. “Nope, not this year anyways.” A pause, smiling breaking over the other boy’s face. “Done!” He crows. “Take a look.” Zhangjing looks in the mirror, the faux freckles over his cheeks a surprise. “Thought I’d try the doing freckles for you. Like them?”</p><p> </p><p>“It doesn’t look half-bad.” He admits, admiring the pink blush Yanjun had applied to his cheeks, far less aggressive than the bright spots Chaoze had slapped on last time. Yanjun gives him another smile, grabbing his Santa suit before disappearing into one of the rooms. “You look cute.”</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing sits there an extra few minutes in stunned silence, the <em>cute </em>intensifying the pink in his cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>Chaoze laughs at him when he comes out, and Zhangjing spends the entire shift trying not to react to his best friend making mock kissing faces at him each time Yanjun isn’t looking. And the rest of the time trying not to blush every time Yanjun smiles in his direction. Zhangjing really hopes Yanjun thinks it’s just the makeup. Two kids ask for his name and a third tries to take his candy cane. He lets the little girl who asks nicely touch his ears, smiling at her wide-eyed amazement.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, mister elf.” Zhangjing looks down small boy tugging at the hem of his shirt, the bells giving off their little jingle. “What’s your name?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Zippy the Elf!” He tries to put in as much enthusiasm into his voice as he can muster, the fake smile stretched across his face starting to feel a bit too forced. He never knew how tiring it would be to smile for hours on end. “I’ve never met an <em>elf</em> before.” The kid is staring up at him with curiosity and awe, and Zhangjing can’t help smile back, a genuine one. “Can I hold your hand?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.” Zhangjing crouches down so that he’s eye-level with the child. “And what’s your name?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nongnong.” He nearly coos, letting the boy place his small hand in his palm. “Well, Nongnong, are you ready to meet Santa today?” Nongnong pouts, then opens his mouth as wide as possible, stretching the word out. “Mayyyyybe.” A pause, a whisper. “What did you say?” Nongnong looks at him, a serious expression on his face. “My mom said that if I ask Santa, he’ll bring me whatever presents I want for Christmas. But Santa looks kind of scary.” Zhangjing has to hold back the laughter in his throat as Nongnong stares at him anxiously, whispering. “Why does he look so angry?”</p><p> </p><p>And Zhangjing has to admit that Yanjun doesn’t exactly look like the <em>happiest </em>Santa, his eyebrows looking a tad bit severe even as the other boy stares at the camera and tries to smile while taking pictures with the children. “It’s okay, Santa is super nice, and you can tell him about all the presents you want.” He pats Nongnong on the head, the little boy not looking convinced in the slightest. “If you’re nervous, I can go up with you and introduce you to Santa.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Zippy.”</p><p> </p><p>Nongnong’s tone is so solemn that this time Zhangjing does laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Five minutes later, and Zhangjing is lamenting his decision, getting closer to the front of the line where Yanjun is, the thought of having to string together full sentences in front of the other boy making him nauseated. He briefly contemplates leaving and returning to his post, but Nongnong is still persistently squeezing his hand as hard as he can. <em>Well, here goes nothing. </em>“Hi Santa, this is Nongnong.” Zhangjing feels his heart beater faster, Yanjun already smiling at the boy, and he nudges Nongnong forward a little, almost awkwardly falling over, his one knee on the ground wobbly. “Go on, Nongnong.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi Santa.” Yanjun leans forward to hear Nongnong, smiling faintly. “And what would you like for Christmas, Nongnong?”</p><p> </p><p>“A panda.”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds great, Nongnong.” Yanjun lets out a jolly fake laugh. “Santa will make sure to bring you a panda plushie for Christmas.” Nongnong’s eyes go wide. “No, I want a <em>real </em>panda.”</p><p> </p><p>The expression on Yanjun’s face is absolutely priceless.</p><p>---</p><p>Zhangjing sighs as he readjusts the hat atop his head for the millionth time, the thing not wanting to stay in place today. “Here, let me help.” Zhangjing nods thankfully as Chaoze sidles up next to him and gives the hat a proper tug. “Thanks, Chaoze.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, am I ever going to see you ask Yanjun out on a date?” Chaoze casually throws out. “You know that our part-time jobs aren’t going to last forever. It’s not like they’ll have any need for us once Christmas passes, and you should probably at least ask for his number, Zhangjing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you think I already know that?” Zhangjing grumbles, glaring at his best friend who only rolls his eyes in exasperation.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s been like three weeks. What are you waiting for?”</p><p> </p><p>“For when I don’t look like an idiot dressed up in an elf costume.” Zhangjing retorts. “I’m just waiting for the right timing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you can definitely get rid of the elf costume, but I don’t know if you can really do anything about the idiot part.” Chaoze responds back, waving cheerfully at the kids standing in line, and Zhangjing glares extra daggers this time. “At this point, there’s going to be <em>no</em> timing if you keep dragging your feet in those tiny little elf shoes.”</p><p> </p><p>“If we weren’t in front of children, I’d kick you and show you just how not tiny my elf shoes really are.”</p><p> </p><p>“Violence is never the answer, Zhangjing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sometimes it is, Chaoze.”</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing sighs, waving back when Yanjun points him out to one of the kids he’s taking pictures with. It isn’t as if he hasn’t <em>tried </em>to ask Yanjun out or even get the other boy’s number. It’s just that every time he does gather his courage to do so, Yanjun either is on his way out or Zhangjing gets pulled away momentarily and the opportunity slips away. And that doesn’t even count the number of times Zhangjing had ended up tongue-tied the instant Yanjun smiled at him, leaving him to stutter out words that he wished he could take back. Last week, Zhangjing had spouted off <em>Nice weather today, right? </em>and immediately wanted to disappear when Yanjun had deadpan responded with <em>It’s raining. </em>Okay, so maybe Chaoze is partly right. Just a little.</p><p> </p><p>Three hours later, and Zhangjing feels as if the smile on his face is about to crack into pieces. <em>At least I’ve started saying Zippy without wanting to laugh. </em>He doesn’t know how Chaoze still has the energy left, his best friend in the corner putting on a small dance for the kids on the far end who definitely seem to be enjoying it. He gives a tired thumbs-up to the kid that says hi to him, injecting some fake cheer into his voice. “Merry Christmas!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ho ho ho!” Yanjun’s big booming fake laugh echoes cheerfully.</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing nods absentmindedly as the newest kid in a long line of many asks him to come up and take a picture, letting the girl take his hand. For some reason, it’s always him the kids ask instead of Chaoze, and Zhangjing chuckles to himself inwardly as he remembers their discussion the other day about why. With Chaoze insisting that it was because Zhangjing looked more like an elf, only to become tight-lipped as soon as Zhangjing mentioned Chaoze’s height in comparison. <em>Serves him right. </em>And he’s so occupied thinking gleefully about it that he nearly doesn’t notice Yanjun smiling and calling his name until it’s too late. Or rather, Zippy’s name. And he most certainly doesn’t notice the little bastard, ahem, child, sticking out their leg directly in his path.</p><p> </p><p>So it’s with a cruel twist of fate that Zhangjing finds himself faceplanting into the ground with a huge thump.</p><p> </p><p>Right in front of Yanjun.</p><p> </p><p>It takes Zhangjing a few moments to recover from having the wind knocked out of him. It takes Zhangjing another few moments to realize that someone is laughing.</p><p> </p><p>Damn kid.</p><p> </p><p>But the second Zhangjing lifts his head, he wishes he hadn’t. Because it’s Yanjun who’s laughing, a high shiny twinkling <em>real</em> laugh, doubled over and clutching at his stomach in his costume. And he’s not sure whether he should be outright embarrassed that Yanjun had just seen him fall flat on his face or be filled with happiness that the sound of Yanjun’s laughter is music to his ears.</p><p> </p><p>Perhaps, both.</p><p> </p><p>He is less amused when he hears the sound of Chaoze’s laughter coming up from behind him and only begrudgingly takes his best friend’s hand as he offers to help Zhangjing up from the ground. “Looks like you took a tumble there, Zippy.” He waves it off, shaking his head, reassuring, as the boy’s mother apologizes to him and makes the kid apologize too. “Don’t worry about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” Zhangjing half-turns, his ears perked as soon as he hears Yanjun’s voice, in the middle of packing up his things before leaving. Yanjun has his beard off, concerned look on his face. “That fall earlier looked like it kind of hurt.”</p><p> </p><p>“You <em>laughed</em> at me.” He shoots back accusingly without thinking.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry. It was just so unexpected.” Yanjun looks truly apologetic, enough that any residual hard feelings Zhangjing has melt away. “Are you okay though?” A squeaky breath squeezes out of his lungs as Yanjun leans in closer to peer at his face. “You didn’t hit your head or anything, did you?”</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing shakes his head no.</p><p> </p><p>Yanjun takes a couple extra seconds to make sure, a small grunt of satisfaction. “Good. Wouldn’t have wanted you to get hurt. Be careful next time, okay?” Zhangjing freezes as the other boy pats his head, ruffling slightly, the feeling of Yanjun’s fingers running through his hair. He gapes after the other boy and wonders if maybe it was worth falling. It isn’t until Yanjun leaves that Zhangjing mentally kicks himself for letting the perfect moment slip through his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t think you were going to take the <em>falling</em> for Yanjun part so seriously.”</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing barely stops himself from throttling Chaoze.</p><p>---</p><p>Zhangjing shoves his phone into his pocket, cursing at his best friend, not bothering to respond. Chaoze had decided that it would be a good idea to start a countdown till <em>Your last chance with Yanjun</em> aka their last shift together on the schedule. And in true Chaoze fashion, his best friend had been sending him a text every day with the updated count, complete with a new encouraging-but-really-not-encouraging comment in accompaniment. <em># of shifts until you tell mall Santa aka Yanjun that he’s hot. Reminder of how many days you have left to not talk to Yanjun about your big fat crush. # of days you have left to fall on your face in front of Yanjun again.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Today’s insight – Three more days left for you to continue being a coward. ♡ Chaoze.</p><p> </p><p>Very helpful.</p><p> </p><p>Zhangjing glares at his best friend across the way, and Chaoze gives him two thumbs up along with impertinence. Yanjun looks tired today, not saying much when he had arrived, the dark circles under his eyes evident, and the shift had not gone well for Santa so far, with one kid spilling half their juice sippy cup right into his lap. Zhangjing had wordlessly followed him into the bathroom as Chaoze insistently waved at him, handing Yanjun paper towels soaked under hot water with soap. The other boy didn’t say a word the entire time, and Zhangjing had kept his mouth shut, Yanjun’s eyebrows drawn together in a stormy expression.</p><p> </p><p>A few hours later, and Yanjun’s expression still hasn’t cleared up entirely, Zhangjing now able to tell whether Yanjun’s smiles for the camera are forced after working together for weeks. Zhangjing checks his phone again for what seems like the twentieth time today. Half an hour left. The minutes wind down slowly, and Zhangjing spends what seems like eternity counting the last five children standing in line to meet Santa Yanjun. He looks nervously down at his phone, waffling on his decision. It <em>had </em>been in his plan today to finally <em>do</em> it, attempt to ask for Yanjun’s number, the reality of all his opportunities slipping away kicking in while he had been having breakfast this morning. But on the other hand, he really hadn’t anticipated that Yanjun would be in such an awful mood. Deep breaths.</p><p> </p><p>Carpe diem.</p><p> </p><p>Done.</p><p> </p><p>The last child waves goodbye, and Zhangjing steels his nerves and prepares himself to walk right. up. to. Yanjun. And he’s about to do it, about to really do it, when out of the corner of his eye, he sees the other boy running off, making his way back to the dressing room, gone like a flash of light. The disappointment bites into him, seeing another chance disappear. Zhangjing sees Chaoze shaking his head at him, shoulders up in a shrug. <em>No clue. </em>His best friend mouths the words at him, also puzzled. Zhangjing trudges to the dressing room, dejected. Just two more shifts left. He sighs.</p><p> </p><p>Wait.</p><p> </p><p>Yanjun is standing in the middle of the dressing room, changed out of his Santa costume, a slightly oversized white sweater, cuffed with blue at the sleeves, thrown over blue jeans, ripped at the knees, tall and pristine in his white shoes. A nervous look on his face, hands behind his back, and shifting from foot to foot. “Sooo, uh-“ Yanjun clears his throat, his nose wrinkling in the process. “So-“ He restarts. “Someone <em>may</em> have told Santa what you want for Christmas.” Zhangjing watches, dumbfounded, as Yanjun reddens, his cheeks brushed with pink. Yanjun lets out an awkward chuckle, eyes darting around the room. “And by someone, I mean Chaoze.”</p><p> </p><p>That little shit.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to kill him.” Zhangjing hears his voice crack at the end, indignant, the slew of horrible possibilities running wildly through his head. “What did he say? He said something weird, didn’t he?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, no.” Yanjun shakes his head. “He just told me last week that you have a crush on me.”</p><p> </p><p>Deep breath.</p><p> </p><p>“And I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go on a date with me.” Yanjun adds, bringing his hands out from behind his back, a small snow globe cradled in his palm, and Yanjun shakes it, the snowflakes falling over the little snowman in the middle, the base painted red with white lettering and a green bow. “I wasn’t sure if it would be a stupid idea to get you a present or not since Christmas is only like three days away-“ Yanjun laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “To tell you the truth, one of my friends told me it would be a great idea to <em>make</em> you a present, to have it be more special, so I ended up buying a do-it-yourself snow globe kit, and it took me all night to put it together and get it painted.” A pause. “But I hope you like it anyways, Zhangjing.”</p><p> </p><p>Oh. <em>Oh</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Yanjun tilts his head, momentarily worried, biting his lower lip, voice hopeful, eyes bright. “Uhhh, Zhangjing, is that a yes?”</p><p> </p><p>And Zhangjing realizes that he hasn’t said anything yet, still frozen in shock, and he quickly nods, bobbing his head, not trusting himself to speak. He croaks when he does open his mouth, holding out his hands to accept the gift. “Yes, yes, <em>yes</em>. I would love to go on a date with you, Yanjun.”</p><p> </p><p>Yanjun’s smile makes his breath hitch, the words stall in his throat.</p><p> </p><p>He’s still basking in the glow later on when it dawns on him, and Zhangjing whips out his phone to send off a few angry texts.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Zhangjing</strong>
</p><p>I can’t believe you told him.</p><p>And pretended like you didn’t.</p><p>And let me get confessed to while dressed like an elf.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Chaoze</strong>
</p><p>You’re welcome.</p><p>Merry Christmas, Zhangjing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments, kudos, and feedback are always appreciated!</p><p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/loststickienote">@loststickienote</a><br/>CC: <a href="https://curiouscat.me/loststickienote">@loststickienote</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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